Racing preview--Battles loom at the tracks over holiday weekend

There's nothing like a long holiday weekend for kicking back, enjoying some warm weather and feasting on motorsports. Unless, of course, family or friends have other plans for your time.

If you can break away from all the fun (or work!), here are the racing storylines going into the holiday weekend:

FORMULA ONE: The British Grand Prix at Silverstone marks the season's halfway point, and Lewis Hamilton will be looking to bounce back in front of his home crowd after two poor outings in a row. I expect Hamilton to step up, but he is under some pressure--most of it likely self-applied. Last year, he showed he could cope, but he was a rookie then, defying expectations week after week. Now, people--especially in the U.K.--expect him to win. Big difference. Just ask Jenson Button.

In any case, look for Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to be strong. Raikkonen has yet to string together a dominant stretch, but he had the previous race, in France, in control until a broken exhaust cost him. The good news for Ferrari is that it can change his engine at Silverstone without a 10-place grid penalty, thanks to a new rule that allows teams one "free" engine change per season. My gut is beginning to tell me that Kimi is headed for another championship, even though he is third in the standings, five points behind teammate Felipe Massa and three points behind BMW Sauber's impressive Robert Kubica. Kubica and teammate Nick Heidfeld say they expect their cars to be strong at Silverstone, too. Nice to feel like F1 is a bit up in the air, isn't it?

NASCAR: Well, New Hampshire sure was fun. Kurt Busch emerged to win over a random top five that benefited from a bit of luck, good strategy and rain. Meanwhile, my favorite part of the race was the Kyle Busch/Juan Pablo Montoya nonsense under caution toward the end. I appreciated Juan taking exception to Busch swerving at him, but his response--hitting Busch, who then spun back into Montoya--worked out really well. NASCAR penalized Montoya a couple of laps, which cost him points and money.

Two bigger stories: Chip Ganassi ended the Dario Franchitti Sprint Cup experiment on Tuesday, July 1, citing a lack of sponsorship. Actually, I wasn't surprised by this (honestly, were you?), as I heard the move was coming weeks ago. Despite Dario's struggles this year, what does it say when a former F1 champion such as Jacques Villeneuve and a marketable, relatively well-known dude such as Franchitti (complete with Ashley Judd in tow) can't land sponsors? Looks like NASCAR's economy might not be in the greatest shape. If that's the case, it makes you wonder about the proposal to allow unlimited testing--and as a result, spending--next year.

Also, news comes on Wednesday that Aric Almirola will drive the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. car full-time next year. That tells us that, as the rumors said, Mark Martin will take over Casey Mears' ride at Hendrick Motorsports, probably for the full season and yet another "last" shot at the Sprint Cup.

NASCAR hits Daytona this weekend, along with Grand-Am.

INDYCAR: Thank God, another road course this weekend--at Watkins Glen. There may or may not be lots of passing, but regardless, I'm tired of seeing these guys go around in circles week after week.

Tony Kanaan finally won a race last weekend, at Richmond, and he can get it done turning right and left, but only a fool would bet against Scott Dixon winning at the Glen for the fourth--yeah, fourth--year in a row. Actually, only a fool would bet on racing in general, but this might be as close to a sure-thing as you can get right now. Call your bookie. And happy Fourth of July to everyone!

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